Even more cyclists now breaking the law

[DistingusedSocialCommentator]

Most drivers and pedestrians will be aware of this as many have seen or been victims of a cycle rider.

Watching Talktv this morning there was a lady who had lost her mother due to an e-scooter rider on the pavement. The show had a lawyer on talking about what I agree with, IE cyclists are very hard to identify if they get away from an accident.

E-scooters we all know are against the law unless provided for by your local council in central London. Several times over the years, me and the family have had close calls with them on pavements and parks as they zoom down, you cant hear them and they often dress in all black clothing.

Push bike riders are travelling faster and faster as many more have those battery packs on them

With the introduction of 20mph zones in vast areas of London, even more, push bike riders are now breaking the law, EG travelling well over 20mph in a 20mph and passing slower cars travelling at 20mph We are all aware how some push bike riders have ignored the rules for years, EG jump red lights, ignore pedestrians on crossings, cause accidents and walk of or rise off and now, much more able to break the speed limits off 20mph with almost 100% impunity and some that at red lights get o the pavement and cross a red light that way or some just ride on pavements

For the record, note, Its some cyclists not all but we have all seen them more so as going to work, or dropping off children at schools the speed of some of these riders

The Talktv debate also talked about those who kill people while riding a push bike/scooter, I think they said the maximum prison sentence was two years (I may be wrong) but the laws needed vast improvements.

This had been talked about a lot before but nothing happened.

AIBU proposes that all cyclists have number plates/easily identifiable markings, all have insurance, all have a bell and lights, and all wear a helmet and hi-vis jacket (This would in my judgment make many more riders more responsible for their actions and our roads/pavements safer for all)

The police need to be more proactive on e-scooter riders. However, as cyclists are almost impossible to identify, my proposal as above will aid the police and hopefully, modify the dangerous behaviours of those cyclists that are now regularly breaking the law, EG, travelling at more than the speed allowed, jumping red lights, putting pedestrians at risk on crossings and pavements.

That depends on how fit you are, how much progress you wish to make/how far you re going and on your gears, headwind makes a massive difference too.

Legal E-Bikes are fantastic because you have to pedal to go forward, stop pedalling and you come to a halt.

They get the less fit out and about and for the experienced cyclist who is going into old age, they can still ride with their younger friends, hence maintain their social networks, i fully intend to get one as i age!

If we want to tackle air pollution and get the nation a little fitter, then bicycles of all sorts are one solution.

Old enough so that he can't physically ride as far or, crucially, as steep as he once could. It'll happen to you one day too.

If your own dad has pointed this out, maybe stop going around talking nonsense about e-bikes being "cheating"?

E-bikes are great for all sorts of reasons. Stop being a snob about them.

Despite being a "proper" cyclist, I use my city's equivalent of Boris bikes occasionally to get across town when I don't fancy walking or as an alternative to a cab if I'm in a rush. I can travel at around 15-20mph without breaking a sweat, which if I'm doing it in normal work clothes is far preferable to using a non-assisted bike.

No government has done it because although it appeals to feeble-minded people who haven't thought it through, anyone considering it properly for more than a nanosecond realises that it is totally impractical. As usual with stupid ideas of this kind there would be huge cost to the law abiding majority and the tossers would carry on exactly as before, and I don't imagine that being much of a vote winner - more costs to you for no gain - great policy, not.

But the plates would mean they could at least be held accountable

How are you planning to implement and enforce this, exactly?
I mean how many extra Police are you going to need to stop cyclists without plates?
Where will the plates come from?
How will you prevent the use of false plates?
Will kids need the plates?
How big will the plates need to be?

Haha. Sure. Plenty of motorists are never held accountable despite having plates and ANPR/CCTV being a thing.

This thread is about cycling and I was replying to someone’s post who shared an experience of cyclists on pavements, so nice whataboutery there.

At the cost of putting people off cycling in the first place for little actual benefit.

People not in cars are still accountable for their actions even if they don't have a registration number stamped across their chest.

Some governments have done it. You used to have to have a registration plate on bicycles in Singapore. Now it is only e-bikes.

https://www.todayonline.com/singapore-ebike-registration-start-aug14

Yep, I had one nearly run into me on St Vincent street. I literally jumped out the way into a bus stop and he had the cheek to say “thanks” as he whizzed by.

Yeah thanks to myself for jumping out the way before I got crashed into 🥹

As someone with dyspraxia I’m already having to concentrate a bit more than others so I really don’t appreciate the uptick in this.

And as someone who doesn’t drive and tries to walk as much as I can it ruins the experience a bit when people are being so inconsiderate and reckless. Having to be super hyper vigilant now on the pavement.

And no I’m not a gas guzzling motorist who is prejudiced against cyclists - I don’t drive, never owned a car in my life but I have owned a bike.

Agree, I commute to work on a bike in London and just the sheer number of people driving on their phones is out of control. That’s before all the motorists I see driving dangerously or without due care, jumping lights, speeding, ignoring signs, or speeding down the wrong side of the road around a traffic island outside a primary school as I saw this morning rather than wait 2 seconds to overtake. Ffs.

Interesting, and good to see a proper separation between real bikes and e-bikes ☝️😊

You need to be hyper vigilant on the pavement, 30-40 pedestrians are killed a year while on the pavement by cars/HGV

Can pedestrians been banned from using their phones so they stop stepping out into the road without looking! Csn pedestrians be forced to always cross at a proper crossing and not jaywalking.

Can pedestrians also wear hi vi's in winter and when it's dark so they are visible

Can pedestrians also wear a number plate so they can identified when when stupidly step out into the road without looking and cause someone to have to swerve around them resulting in an accident. Can also identify then when they hang out in groups blocking pavements and so on

So many things

Very few people on non-electric push bikes are going at 20mph+.

Totally impractical 'suggestions' there, OP. All they'll do is put off the vast majority of decent, sensible people cycling. Those who don't give a shit now, won't give a shit in future.

I live in a northern city, where cycling is very popular. All sorts of people cycle to work every day. Most wearing normal clothes, without being trussed up in neon safety gear. There's little or no animosity between drivers, cyclists and pedestrians. In fact, drivers usually wave my husband out of junctions each morning.

Not everywhere in the UK is a tense, aggressive cesspit, and heavy-handed, blanket rules like this crap would be totally inappropriate for much of the country.

We'll still have delivery vans, tradesmen vans, workers vans etc. So we'll not have "empty" streets at all, and tradesmen/workers/self employed etc will still have their vans and crew cab pickups etc. You're not going to get a roofer hailing a driverless car to go to replace a roof! And you're still going to have yummy mummies who "need" a huge 4*4 for the school run - or are you going to ban personal car ownership?

Yes, roads with "fewer" cars would be nice, and driverless cars may be part of that in a few decades time, but the real answer is better public transport, better/cheaper buses and trains, etc so people want to give up their cars, not because they are forced to!

It's good your thinking and talking about road safety but we should focus any efforts on improvement where it would have the greatest impact...car drivers.

Before we spend money and effort tackling cyclists, let's tackle some of the issues with car drivers.

I propose....

Mandatory re-tests every 5 years for 17-75 year old and every 2 years for 75+ year olds

Mandatory speed limiters on all vehicles (exact limit tbc but I'd suggest 85mph as I accept there are some situations you may need to go above 70)

Mandatory black box for all drivers

A maximum engine size for u25s

An increase in roadside spot checks of vehicle - The amount of cars I see with lights that are out / misaligned or other obvious defects is shocking and there seems to be a huge misconception that a valid MOT = roadworthy.

An automatic 12 month ban for using a phone or built in touchscreens while driving wheel, no exceptions.

An automatic 3 month ban for any speeding, tailgaiting, or driving with undue care / attention offences (may go up depending on severity)

An automatic 24 month ban for dangerous, drink or drug driving

A minimum 10 year ban for causing any death while driving.

Once we've made the roads safer from cars we can worry about bikes.

Agree that cyclists should have lights.
Cars pavement parking and jumping red lights seems much more dangerous than cyclists to me though.

You need to be hyper vigilant on the pavement, 30-40 pedestrians are killed a year while on the pavement by cars/HGV

And shame on those motorists. The topic here is cyclists though and it’s ok to address the fact that some of them are a menace on the pavements. Let’s not make pavements even more dangerous with this increase in reckless bike riders.

When I lived in south London I would have or see (from my window) regular near misses with deliveroo etc drivers on pavements, not once was it a car. It’s okay for people to share experiences about cyclists on a thread about…cyclists. You don’t need to derail it honestly.

As I said upthread I could be described as more of a cyclist than a driver (since I don’t drive but occasionally cycle ) but I’m not defensive about these discussions. Not sure why some people are.

This thread’s about cyclists.

Although I fully accept that a thread about appalling motorists would equally be peppered with comments about bad cyclists.

Yeah, agree with this.

I’m a driver, cyclist and pedestrian. I think cyclists are the envy of pedestrians and drivers because it’s so much more fun than waking or driving. Many want to cycle but are too lazy to get on a bike or are too frightened of their fellow aggressive drivers to do so.

🙄

Is cycling not cheating anyway
Much better to walk 5 miles than cycle 5 miles surely

start your own thread and get
—the pavement— this thread.

😂😂😂 "I think cyclists are the envy of pedestrians and drivers" 😂😂😂